A Victorian Tail
by Silver Sterling
Summary: Set in 1888 in Whitechapel, London which is around the time and location of the Jack the Ripper murders. The Ten Bells pub or 'Fairy Tail' is run by Makarov Dreyar and Mirajane Strauss as a place of rest and also a family. Can they escape both the brutal murders and the dreaded workhouse?
1. Chapter 1

**One**

A scrawny boy darted through the busy London streets dragging a hesitant blue-haired girl behind him. They reached the end of Fournier Street and quickly rushed inside the old pub on the corner. The Ten Bells or 'Fairy Tail' as it was known by the locals was the embodiment of a warm, hearty English pub. So welcoming in fact that most of the regulars never left either booking a room or falling asleep in the chairs by the fire and hoping the barmaids were kind enough to let them stay the night.

"Is my dad 'ere?" the boy asked the white-haired beauty manning the bar. She smiled down at him as she shook her head and offered him a drink. After a few minutes she noticed the small, pale girl standing nervously at the bar.

"Oh my, little Romeo's found his Juliet I see!" she gushed. Romeo blushed deeply while glancing at the girl to his left.

"Mira-nee! It's not like that. They were sending 'er to the workhouse." With that the girl began to sniffle as silent tears rolled down her gaunt cheeks. She hadn't eaten in days so picked up a small pie that had fallen out of someone's bag and been accused of stealing by the bakers boy since they knew she hadn't bought anything. The police had decided to 'go easy on her' by sending her to the workhouse. If Romeo hadn't pulled her away in time then… Her solemn trail of thought was interrupted by a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We'll look after you now. We'd never let one of our own get sent to that dreadful place. I'm Mirajane, nice to meet you."

"I'm W-Wendy" the young girl stuttered. Victorian London was not a place where you easily placed trust in strangers, especially in the East End. However something was different about these people. They were warm.

Just then a wild young man burst through the door pushing his messy, pink hair out of his eyes and shouting obscenities over his shoulder. He flashed Wendy and Romeo a toothy grin before going to sit as close to the fire as possible. A few seconds later a broody teen of about the same age as the rosy-haired boy entered and glowered at the former's back.

"I'm back." He muttered before reaching behind the bar and pouring self a drink and adding several lumps of ice to it from his pockets. Mirajane just smiled at the sulky, dark haired boy as he went to sit in the corner furthest away from the fire.

"That's Gray and that's Natsu," Romeo gestured to the two newcomers "Gray sells ice down on the Thames and Natsu works for the blacksmith Gajeel."

"Wiv not for!" Natsu shouted from the fireplace.

"Introduce yourself then hothead." Retorted Gray from the corner.

A steely glare from the barmaid shut them both up. After all Fairy Tail was a pub for the poor and their cheap prices didn't make enough profit to keep repairing the furniture after bar fights. Laki the carpenter would have happily made more tables and chairs if they needed them but Mira was not a fan of the strange and sometimes scary decorations that were carved into all of Laki's creations. Not to mention the wooden weapons or torture devices Laki insisted throwing in for free (which usually ended up as firewood).

As the evening went on the pub gradually filled with all sorts of working class people. Everyone seemed to know each other and rowdy, drunken banter filled the air.

Wendy learnt that the buxom brunette playing cards with Gray was a fortune-teller and not actually a prostitute (not since her father who was a hardened soldier had come back and scared away any man that so much glanced at her) but she would do anything for a free drink or two. Evergreen was actually prostitute and sat in a dark corner with a gang of muscly and scarred men with the bar owner's grandson as the boss. A man with long, green hair called Freed, the most respectable looking out of the bunch, was a lawyer and had defended the rest of the group numerous times. She was told that she didn't want to know what the other two men and Mirajane's brother got up to…

There was also a small schoolteacher engrossed in a book next to the heavily pierced man who was the blacksmith Natsu worked for. A bricky woman with flowing scarlet hair worked in the bakery and was talking to a woman named Juvia who sold produce down at the docks. Another of Mirajane's siblings worked in the kitchen and behind the bar, she had been Natsu's childhood sweetheart before she contracted cholera and had been bedridden for two years.

More introductions could wait; the poor, new girl was swaying and barely able to stay on her feet from both hunger and exhaustion. Mira ushered her out of the bar and round the back where she offered her a bed and a hot meal. Gesturing to a room up the stairs Mira left to attend the bar.

Curled up on Wendy's new bed was a small cat with slick, white fur.

"Carla! You knew I was going to be 'ere didn't you?" the young girl sniffled before falling into a deep sleep with the cat clutched to her chest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

Wendy woke to find herself sharing a bed with Mirajane and Lisanna with most of the other women she had seen drinking last night sprawled out on the cold wooden floor. Most working class people in the East End had to live in cramped and crowded conditions so this was no surprise to her. What was surprising (and slightly disturbing) was how Cana was still drinking in her sleep and Erza was wearing a full suit of armour and had a sword clutched in her hand. She worked in the bakery right?

Soon the others began to rise and run off to their respective jobs. Mira explained that the locals had realised the regulars of Fairy Tail had a very broad skill set and started coming to the Ten Bells and handing in job requests to be relayed to whoever was suitable. After some time a system had come into place where scraps of paper were pinned up on a board where anyone trusted could browse and take extra jobs when they needed it. Which, in poverty-stricken Whitechapel, was all the time.

Mirajane also emphasised that Wendy should not take any S-class requests or any that involved fighting or spying which would definitely put her life at risk. Usually people ended up destroying property or being too violent so they were often in trouble with the police. Erza's love interest had once been a policeman and that had kept them safe for a while. However he went 'corrupt' and gave items he declared missing in a report to Erza or any of the Fairy Tail girls for extra money when they were in danger of going to the workhouse and he was currently locked up for it. They were just lucky he wasn't hung.

Wendy wondered if the boys had their own room to share as well. She was interested to learn more about their respective jobs and was particularly intrigued by the two blacksmiths. Somehow she felt as if she had something in common with them…

Miss Lucy Heartfilia had begged her father like a dog to be allowed to accompany him on a business trip to a factory in the East End however it seemed like she would be allowed no more freedom now than if she was locked up in their manor house. Being an avid fan of Charles Dickens she knew the fabled den of Fagin was somewhere here in Whitechapel and she wanted to go and investigate the streets and see the characters come to life in these ordinary people's everyday lives. Instead her father had decided to take a stroll along the Thames to avoid any thieves or worse who might target his precious daughter.

After gazing longingly at the Thames, Lucy turned back noticed a shirtless man driving a horse and cart full of ice towards them. Although removing his coat alone would have been utterly indecent enough Lucy could not help but stare. He had a strong, muscular chest, his pale skin laden with scars and scratches, she could already see that his hands were hardened and calloused from vigorous labour. His dark, piercing eyes matched the colour of an intricate tattoo that Lucy assumed was a family crest.

Catching his attention, Lucy gave a shy smile which led to the man immediately stopping the cart and leaping out into a bow. A bit over the top but he knew how the middle class liked to be treated and was doing his best to be a respectable gentleman.

"'ello good sir and miss, can I interest you in any ice? I've heard iced cream is all the range in high society at the moment." Mr Heartfilia looked disdainfully down at the teen and started to walk away. "Maybe an ice sculpture might be more to your taste sir? I have this rose I carved earlier for the lovely miss." Enthralled by the handsome man's charm coupled with him obviously trying to supress his cockney accent, Lucy smiled and held out her hand expectantly. Also she could tell by looking at the state his remaining clothes were in that this boy needed all the money he could get, hopefully a buying this would help out a little.

"I suggest you step away from my daughter and learn your place you vulgar halfwit." Spat Mr Heartfilia. Instead of offending the man it seemed to spark a sense of challenge in him as he noticeably relaxed and leaned against his cart as he twirled the beautifully sculpted rose between his deft fingers.

"Wiv all due respect sir I was just thinkin' that it was 1888 and p'raps by now a lady could speak for 'erself once in a while." He smirked as any act of being presentable to the middle class went out of the window and he handed Lucy the rose. "Free of charge miss, as myself and any other proud member of the working class would rather go to the workhouse than accept money from the likes of your father." He proclaimed dramatically, following it with a cheeky grin before leaping back up onto his cart. Her father looked absolutely outraged, although neither Heartfilia realised the true horror of the workhouse so the insult was a little lost on him.

"I could get you fired you know boy, your company name is on the side of your cart." He threatened.

"Well sir, I'm sure no one will blame me for being a sucker for nice nancies."

"It's Lucy." The blushing girl mumbled. Gray was glad that the two were too proper to know working class slang and the girl's name was similar enough to remember easily. By now he had managed to put on a few more articles of clothing including a ragged cloth cap which he tipped at Mr Heartfilia.

"Good day sir, and goodbye. Oh and miss if you ever happen to be in this hellhole again, come down the Ten Bells on Commercial Street and ask for Gray. I'll show you around." He laughed before driving off.

Left in stiff silence for the rest of the walk, Lucy tried to imagine what life would be like if she lived here. By the look of the mysterious raven-haired man he was much happier than Lucy even though he was on the brink of starvation and living in one of the most crowded, crime-filled parts of London. The Ten Bells… She'd have to remember that.

 **I've been doing some research to keep this as accurate as possible. Making language more working class and trying to include some Victorian slang which you might have to google unless it would be useful for me to put a key at the end? Tell me what you think.**

 **Btw 'nancies' are buttocks so basically Lucy has a nice arse.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

Wendy had been staying at Fairy Tail for a few weeks now. She had mainly been patching up the men and Erza after fights with her knowledge of herbal cures and nursing skills learnt from her mother. However since she had taken no real jobs and Romeo's father had gone missing they were both low on money and had run out of food.

At first Makarov Dreyar the old Russian landlord had offered them any scraps in the kitchen or even full meals every few days however neither liked depending on him so much when the Ten Bells was already losing a lot of money.

Makarov's grandson, had also taken a liking to Wendy for some reason and offered to teach them ways of 'getting by'. Laxus was a towering, bulky man with an impressive lightning-shaped scar across his right eye. He wore a thick coat lined with fur even in the summer heat and spoke with a thick Russian accent like his grandfather.

After various instructions, tips and demonstrations Romeo and Wendy decided to test out their new-found skills out on their way to the blacksmiths. Initially they searched for an easy target. Laxus' words stuck in their minds: 'Fairy Tail is honourable place that helps those who have nothing. We know first-hand what it's like to go without money or food for weeks so never take from someone who can't afford it. Unless of course they insult your honour.' Luckily a fat, balding man who was involved in running the nearest workhouse walked by turning to sneer at the two children as he went past.

Wendy was still unsure about this. She was raised to be a good, Christian girl however Fairy Tail worked more on the base of 'karma', a concept learnt from Natsu who was an immigrant from Asia. This man, Mr Whittle, was known to be a complete brute and somewhat of a drunk. Everyone had heard rumours of Whittle's vile temper which he violently took out on the children of the workhouse. He was definitely due for some bad karma.

First Wendy hurried after him waving her sky blue handkerchief (the only souvenir she had left of her mother) asking if he had dropped it. Then she began engaging him an earnest conversation about how she knew the lord would want her to be honest even in the hardest times. While she had his attention, Romeo snuck up behind them and reached into Whittle's pocket and snagged his finger on a pocket watch chain. Quickly switching the pocket watch for a stone of a similar weight he had found, he signalled to Wendy then slipped into a dark alley nearby. Wendy excused herself and skipped away to Romeo. Gleefully they ran to the blacksmiths, watch in hand. Laxus would be proud.

"Natsu-nii? Gajeel?" Romeo called out once they reached the door. Loud clattering seemed to be coming from the next room followed by a crash then a string of curses the pair had never even heard before. Natsu poked his head round the door and gave them his signature grin before grimacing at a fresh burn on his hip. Immediately Wendy searched for any medical supplies so she could treat the burn.

"Some arrogant muck snipe come in 'ere and demanded I make him a sword right away. Now I've never made one before but Gajeel 'as and I'll be damned if 'e's better than me so I do me best. Then the hornswoggler insists 'e tests it out on me while the damned thing's still 'ot! So 'e pushes me up against the wall, sword ready to pierce me guts, sayin' the damn sword will be a present for my dear friend Mr Cheney the photographer. I've never even met the bloke! But 'e says it must be a free gift for the guy because he sees something of 'is younger self in 'im then 'e laughs like it's the funniest joke 'e's ever 'eard and walks off leaving me with serious burns. I've never even gotten burnt before for Christ's sake." He finished with a grumble after yelling most of the story at the two pre-teens.

Unluckily, for Natsu, Gajeel had just got back from fitting horse shoes and was not pleased about his precious iron being wasted. So Natsu, Wendy and Romeo ended up being forcibly dragged down to the photographers with the newly made sword.

Outside a small shop with the sign 'Light and Shadow Photography', Gajeel explained he wanted them to interrogate Mr Cheney and they would only get rough if he didn't answer properly. Why Natsu had a box of matches at the ready no one knew (he insisted it would be a good threat to burn their photos but he had brought the matches everywhere since he learnt that fire breathing trick) but they went in nevertheless.

They were greeted by a young blond man who immediately looked both shocked and delighted at the sight of Natsu. With an ecstatic nod he beckoned them inside before grasping Natsu's hands and shaking them vigorously.

"Please correct me if I'm mistaken but are you the Salamander?" he asked nervously. Seeing the utter confusion in Natsu's face, Gajeel rolled his eyes then nodded at the photographer. "Pleased to meet you. I've been a fan ever since I saw you boxing a few years ago. I'd love the chance to take you on sometime."

"Maybe today's your lucky day." Growled Natsu cracking his knuckles only to be held back by the other blacksmith.

"We're looking for a Mr Cheney." Gajeel stated as calmly as possible. The blond man quickly nodded and went into the dark room to fetch his partner. A minute or so later he returned with a sullen looking man with locks of black hair hanging over most of his face. He lifted his crimson eyes from the ground to stare blankly at the blacksmiths before his gaze met Gajeel's.

"Ryos?" The older man looked at the photographer curiously.

"I prefer Rogue now, if you don't mind." He stated curtly before glancing around at the rest of the group. After thinking for a while Gajeel laughed.

"Gihi you can have this sword then. It's on the 'ouse, just this time." A rare smile played on his lips as he began to walk out of the door calling gruffly over his shoulder, "You're always welcome down the Ten Bells. Everyone's mad as hops down there if you want some fun."

On the way back Gajeel explained how he had acted as an older brother or mentor figure to Rogue after both of their father's disappeared although Rogue was scared of him back then apparently. They spent a lot of time together while Gajeel was in the Phantom Lord gang but he hadn't seen Mr Cheney since Makarov had pulled him out of the gang years prior.

"Now come on Romeo, I'll engrave that watch you stole so it's unrecognisable to Whittle to keep you from being hung…" The young boy beamed up at him, glad Gajeel was finally starting to show some compassion for him, "…for half your profit of course. Gihi!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N I wrote the beginning of this chapter a while ago but here's some important slang definitions from what I remember. You'll need to understand them to know what's really going on.**

 **Flapdoodle – A sexually incompetent man. Usually either very young or old.**

 **Wagtail – Promiscuous women or prostitutes**

 **Billy – Handkerchief**

 **An unfortunate – A prostitute**

 **Four**

Drunken noise and laughter drifted through the stuffy evening air as dusk descended on Whitechapel. People cheered while women danced and men attempted to flirt with them. Smoking and gambling filled the darkened corners of pubs while drunken sailors threw punches by the docks.

"It's a tradition 'ere, well in Fairy Tail at least." Romeo explained "Everyone takes the last day of august off to celebrate the ending of the summer but everyone starts drinking the night before as soon as they've finished work. Why waste time sitting around when you could be partying I guess." He shrugged and pulled Wendy over to the bar to sneak away some cheap ale.

"Oi Natsu you foozler, you copied my bloody scar!" Roared Gray in seeing the blacksmith abandon his shirt in the humidity. "Copying me to compensate for being a flapdoodle eh?"

"Compensate? I didn't know orphans from the slums learnt such big words." That earnt a slight twitch from Gray's right eye. "Just because you've snuck round and done it with dirty wagtails in the street doesn't mean you're experienced. Vazey bastard."

"More experienced than a twit like yourself. If you're not so pigeon-livered…" glancing around the room he spotted a young woman hovering by the door, "go get 'er billy to prove you're good with the ladies then eh?"

Glaring daggers at the older teen, Natsu slowly approached the girl in question. Blonde ringlets framed her face while the rest of her hair was scraped back in a bun and hidden under a bonnet. She was staring timidly at the floor so most of her face was obscured but she was obviously wearing makeup and had a dress much finer than anyone in Whitechapel could have ever dreamed of even though it was dirty, ripped and tattered in places. Her figure was bulked out by the multiple layers she was wearing, which was commonplace when you had no home to store belongings.

The blacksmith reached out his hand and tapped her on the shoulder.

"'Scuse me miss, can I 'elp ya?"

Her deep, chocolate eyes widened in surprise as she took a step away from him, raising her arms in defence as she did so. Natsu couldn't help but wonder at her beauty as he gradually got lost in her eyes. She was nothing like any of the girls he knew. Gathering her composure she blinked at the unruly teen in front of her.

"I-I'm looking for Gray?" she stammered, then flinched as she saw the anger in the man's eyes before he turned away from her.

"OI ICY BASTARD," he bellowed, aiming a nearby mug at Gray's head "IT'S CHEATING IF YOU ALREADY KNOW THE GIRL!"

Caught in the midst of removing his trousers, the salesman turned to face Natsu just as the mug collided with his jaw. Scowling as he picked shattered glass out of his cheek, he sauntered over to the pair.

"Sorry miss, do I know you some'ow?" he said looking her up and down "You really ought to watch yourself dressed like that you know, people will think you're worthy of robbing or worse – an unfortunate!" he laughed. Noticing the look of horror on the lady's face, Natsu punched Gray in the ribs.

"'Ow can you talk to a lady like that you cold hearted prick, she's on an 'ole 'nother level from Cana or Evergreen." That prompted a swift kick in the stomach from Gray, no one talked down to Cana on his watch.

"They do what they gotta do." He growled "Speakin' o' which, Cana there's some old harlot outside on your patch, you probably wanna do somethin' about that." The brunette nodded, smashing off the end of a beer bottle for extra 'persuasion'. "Anyway, who are you?"

"My name is Lucy, you don't remember me?" she huffed.

Gray looked rather taken a back as he glanced over her gentle features again.

"Miss Lucy? What a terrible state your fine clothes are in, did you get attacked? Where's your bastard of a father anyway?" he asked while ushering her inside and signalling for Mira to bring drinks.

Lucy's face lit up as she stared at the shabby scenery, absorbing as much as she could while it lasted. For someone who'd only seen the world outside of social events and big manor houses once before this was a dream come true. She explained that her father was forcing her into marriage with a horrible, abusive man and she had run away with only the clothes on her back. Now she had no place to go except to the pub mentioned to her a few weeks prior by a man she didn't know.

"Mira'll sort somethin' out for ya I'm sure." Proclaimed Natsu, seeing Lucy was now on the verge of tears "You're one of us now eh? We always look after our own, look."

Cana had just walked back in waving a slightly shorter shattered beer bottle with scraps of material between the jagged edges triumphantly at Gray then directing the man behind her up to one of the back rooms.

"She'd just been walkin' Whitechapel Road and 'ad no luck so thought she'd come 'ere for a drink and then try in my patch, ha! Sent the drunk old bitch up Brick Lane for a drink, I don't think she'll be comin' back 'ere again." She laughed while avoiding a demonic glare from Mirajane for scaring away customers. Waving at both Gray and Mira she swayed up the stairs, only stumbling a few times, to attend to her client.

"Anyway you come from the Heartfilia family right? A friend of mine managed to claw 'is way out of 'ere and get a job as a butler in one of those mansions you 'ave. 'Is name's Loke, dyou know 'im?"

Lucy nodded with a slight blush brushing her cheeks.

"He was… very kind to me." She admitted hesitantly "I told him where I was going and he said he knew the area and would make sure to check on me while also keeping my father away. He's a good man."

"He tried to woo you, didn't 'e?" Gray smirked as the dusty pink on Lucy's cheeky was aggravated into an angry red "Always the same. One day 'e's going to get caught in the wrong girl's bed and end up 'alf beaten to death in a back alley somewhere."

"And on that note." Mirajane interrupted "Miss Lucy please allow me to show you upstairs to your room, talk about work and men can wait."

Lucy allowed herself to be pulled away from the ruckus of the crowd who were now booing and jeering as an intimidating pierced man sang along to the piano. Weary from travel and worry, she could only hope that she would be accepted as part of this ragtag family and kept away from her brute of a father. With a whirlwind of fears and distress still raging in her mind, she drifted into a fitful sleep.

 **A/N Sorry I haven't updated this for a while. The chapters need quite a lot of research to be done both on Victorian life and Jack the Ripper before I can be satisfied with the accuracy.**


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